Jason had been a track and field star in high school. He didn’t hold any county records, or win any major races, but he did place third at South Gate High and land a scholarship for his deeds. It had been years since he ran all out, though, and his legs burned as he taxed them more than he had since Highschool. There was no sound of pattering of feet behind him, so he took that as a good sign of progress.

He didn’t bother to slow down when he approached the door; instead, Jason burst out into the hallway at full speed and allowed the wall to catch him. He crashed against the metal wall, rebounded immediately, spun, and threw his hand at the door-side panel, reaching for the button to close the door. If he could get the door closed, he could lock it; then it was only two more buttons to signal the alarm.

An invisible force crashed into Jason’s chest and he was thrown back against the wall. The wind was knocked out of him, and he was certain a few of his ribs cracked. He crumpled, sinking to the floor with his legs stretched out before him.

His shoe bumped against something in front of him and he forced his eyes open to see what it was. The red-eyed child stood over him, a grin on his face. The boy’s lips parted as his smile grew and Jason took note of a few new features he hadn’t noticed before; sharp, elongated canines.

“You’re fucking kidding me,” Jason groaned. “They’re creating vampires?”

The boy became a blur for a half second, then was suddenly grasping Jason by the shoulders, pushing him back against the wall and pinning him in place. Jason tried to shrug him off but the boy’s grip was as tight as a vice. He growled in pain as the small fingers pushed into his flesh. There might not be blood, but Jason was certain there would be substantial bruising.

Before he could react, the boy’s teeth sank into the side of Jason’s neck. The man howled as he was punctured, but the pain vanished as quickly as it came. Jason felt his face grow warm as the back of his head began to tingle.

He’s actually fucking sucking my blood! Jason thought. He raised his hand and began to bash the child in the head with his fist, but his attack was either too weak or the child too strong as they didn’t seem to register with the boy at all.

The world began to grow dark as the seconds passed. Jason made several futile efforts to push the boy away or hit him in the face, but his efforts were wasted. His hands sank to his side as he realized his situation and the lightheadedness began to allow him to stop caring.

Then the boy pulled away, and in the same instant, the hallway exploded with a loud BANG. The child vanished. Jason didn’t see which way he went, or if he went any way in particular; he simply disappeared from view in a blur.

“What the hell was that?!” A voice yelled from somewhere to Jason’s right. His head lulled to the side and he sought the voice. He could see it; a dark blue blob at the corner of the next hall up, a dozen yards away. The figure approached him, their arms stretched straight in front of them, and as they grew closer Jason began to make out details.

“Frank?” Jason asked. He could just make out the man’s shape and hair color. He had to have been holding a gun as well, aimed down the hall towards where the child probably ran off to.

“The hell was that? It’s so fast!” Frank said. “Which way did it go?”

“I’un’no,” Jason tried to shrug, but the effort caused him to slide sideways and lay on the floor. He heard Frank cuss for the first time since he’d met him, then heard the crackle of the radio as the other man called upstairs on his radio… his fully charged radio. Then, Jason fell asleep.